Improvement in bell-hanging



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AUeUsrrE LAEoi'rEoE sns sLrKE'Ns, NEAR os'rENn, BELGIUM.

Letters Patent No. 112,932, dated March 21, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN BELL-HANGING.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thename.

panying drawing and to the letters of reference marked.l

thereon.

The recognized systems of bell-hanging up to this time have the great inconvenience of obliging the bellringers to put in action .their entire weight Without any compensation or deduction, resulting, with large bells, in great fatigue andgreat labor, besides the vibrationsthat the full peal or volley gives to the belfry, especiallywhen chimes are rung upon a set of bells, occasion frequent repairs, and are sometimes really dangerous.

Some bellshave been mounted on an axis balanced by a counter-weight, to diminish the ei'ort required from the bell-lingers; but this plan has been rarely e1nployed, for it .loads the wood-Work beyond measure, and thus augments the vibration of the belfry, which it is important to avoid.

Struck by these inconveniences, my researches have led me to try, if it were possible, to nd in the bell itself the balance necessary to annui in part, for the ringers, the effect of its weight, and to diminish, as much as, possible, the vibration occasioned .by the centrifugal force. After many trials I' have happily succeeded in lightening it, as to the putting it in motion, in proportions'equal at least to eighty per cent. of the total weight, and to diminishv the centrifugal force at least ninety per cent.; for the combinations'of the tlat elongated plummet-blocks, With'the rolling trunnions, annui nearly all vibration in the belfry.'

The annexed drawing allows me to describe my system. f

Figure 1 is a lateral elevation of a bell, with the trace of -its motioni'n dotted lines.

Figure 2, front elevation of a bell, showing the bent axle serving for suspension, and allowing the trunnions, upon which the bell swings, to be brought thenearest possible to the center of the bell.

Figure 3, elevation of bell hung on the old plan, showing the larger-oscillations,that it makes.

Figure' 4, trout elevation of the traction-pulley, with regulator, of a bell hung after my system.

lFigure 5, section of a bell, with the clapper in two parts.

vFigure 6, elevation on an enlarged scale of my elongated plnmmer-bloek.

Figure 7, sectional elevation of bell7 showing attachments of clapper.

Figure 8, a late'ral elevation of the said attachment.

Figure 9, a front elevation'oi the yoke for the clap Figure 10, fractional section ofthe crown.

Figure 11, lateral elevation of clappcr and fittings, showing the ring with which ll bells are provided, and to which I bolt the plates, indicated at l l l, forming cheeks or jaws and supporting the springs and the rigid portion Aof' the c'lapper.

Figure 12, front elevation of the same, showing also the position of thespiings at repose. v

Figure 13, iron bar supporting the'l springs, which may consist of one or two plates according tothe weight of theclapper, and be made of steel or brass `or any other metal.

Figure 14, plan of yoke for determining the position of the clapper-springs. r

The inspection of these figures shows clearly the mechanism of my plan of hanging, and explains at Iirst sight its advantages.

In effect, the oscillation taking place' vat the center of the bell, one-half always balances or nearly balances the other, it being understood that the base should be left a little the heavier, so as to bring the bell back after each movement to -its vertical .position The stroke of the'- oscillations is also diminished about half, as is shown by the iigsland 3,- in consequence of the points of rotation of the bell a, suspended at the summit of abent axle, b, turning round two trunnions, c c, placed a little higher than the center ofthe bell in brass or steel bearings g, held by the plummer-blocks dd, or placed upon bearings constructed for that purpose.

The movement can begiven to the bell by a rope, e, fitted upon the periphery of a iiy-wheel, f, placed between the bell a and the plummer-block d, cr outside of this latter, and ou the prolongation of the trunnion c, or in other ways appropriate tothe space at cornmand. The movement can also be given by the foot acting upon pedals occupying the same place.

It follows from this arrangement that the ringer has to n iove but a small fraction of the weight of the bell, which allows of one man working constantly to replace the three or four men actually employed for the great bell, (for example, in a-system or chime or' require relieving every twenty or twenty-five minutes by three or four fresh men. Moreover, the effect of the'centrifngal force developed by the motion of the bell, as ordinarily hung, strains the axis of suspension and gives to all the flaming of the belfryvibrations damaging tothe strength ofthe tower. This is avoided by my system in the. proportion of at least ninety per cent. by the contrary direction relative to the points of suspension followed by the crown h and the base 'i of the bell a.

Thebent axle-b, to which the belll is hung, can be 1 iron or other material and of any appropriate form, rovided it is strong enough. Those which I'prefer are -shaped or duplicate l-shaped.

The trunnions c c can be fixed or movable; that is o say, formed by the prolongation of the bent axle b, nd being part of it, or else independent and bolted, s desired, upon the vertical arms of the axle b.

The movement of the bell a can be given by handA brough ay-wheel, j, of a 4suitable diameter, or by he foot with pedals, or by any other mechanical leans. A

The form of the plummer-blocks d and of the bear lgs g may vary as desired, but l claim the exclusive ight to use the long flat stationary bearing indicated yt iig. 6, whereby all friction and consequent heating f the trnnnions c are avoided,the contrary movecents ofthecrown h and base of the bell eiectually reventing any sliding motion taking place.

In order to obviate the effects of the rebound ofthe lapper k upon theibell after the first stroke, and t0 revent the clapper from remaining, in contact with he sides of the bell, which detracts greatly from the ntensity of the sound, I place between the jaws lZof `he fixed part of the clapper two plates of steel, an, naking springs, and adj ustable,.as regards their posiion, by four nuts, o o o o, between which they are held it about the middle of their length, (see figs. 7 and 1,2.)

These springs n n are intended to bend under the troke of the clapper and to disengage it immediately 'rom the bell, so as to prevent its oscillations.

I havealso discovered a means for regulating the volley of the bells with a view to enabling several to be rung at the same time without producing any false or irregular time between the sound orstroke of each individual bell.

'With thisendl pass a rope, e, (which is wrapped round the fly-wheel fand gives the oscillating motion to the bell 60,) through a hole, p, pierced at each end of a piece of woodn, making a spring under the pressure of stops, s, placed at the desired distance, in order to prevent the hell exceeding the'course which it ought to make. Fig. 4 explains this arrangement.

If the bell is worked by means of pedals, this result will beat-tained by simply placing tappets provided with felt or caoutchouc.

. What l claim as my invention, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

l.v In a bell having a clapper or hammer divided into two nearly equal lengths, one iixedrigd and the other pendent from it, swinging such pendent part from a y point in line with the axis or center of gyration ofthe bell when such axis or center 'is between the crown and the ,lower part .of the bell.

2. The long dat stationary bearings for the trunnions to roll upon, as described. l

y 3. The arrangement, described and shown in fig. 4, or its equivalent, for limiting the volley of bells, for the purpose of preserving the harmony desired."

' A. LAROYE.

Witnesses z PARMENT, v J. DUBOIS. 

